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March on Capera
March on Capera The March on Capera was a huge protest in Ascaria led by Adrion Capilus on the 14th of March 1930, who as a result of the march would be coronated as Emperor Adrion I on the 26th, although he had held de facto power since approximately 6pm on the 14th. The crowd protested peacefully, however several soldiers ended up attacking Adrion, who would all be killed. The march began in the eastern edge of Tivensa, where approximately 100,000 protestors had assembled by 9am. Adrion and the protestors were blessed by several priests (both Elvetan and Christian) before setting off westwards towards Capera, the seat of the Imperial Government. Throughout the march, both military and civilian bands played marching songs and folk tunes, and there were a series of chants that espoused the goals of the march and of Adrion. The self-proclaimed goals of the march were: * The replacement of Emperor Faltas V with Adrion * The abolition of the People's Assembly, which was seen to be weak and corrupt, as well as all other democratic institutions * Re-unification of the Empire, which had been shattered by the Treaty of Aemea, and restoration of the Imperial Armed Forces * The eviction of all foreigners, particularly Russians, from the Empire (although it should be noted that by this point in time, the Greek and Italian migrants were not considered "foreigners" as their communities were old and widely accepted) * The abolition of the private banking system and the execution of the head bankers (this latter part was not one of Adrion's goals, it was proclaimed by the crowd and never delivered upon by Adrion during his reign) Arrival at Capera By the time the march reached the gates of Capera at 5:30pm, it had significantly grown in size. Imperial records claim the march was 250,000 strong, but most historians estimate it at around 200,000. The march was blocked at the gates of Capera by a force of guards led by Imperial Knights. However, the soldiers - particularly the Knights - were confused and conflicted over their loyalty between Adrion and the Emperor. A tense standoff in near-total silence lasted for around five minutes before Adrion drew his sword and ordered the Knights to let them pass. One of the soldiers raised his rifle at Adrion, but the soldier was knocked out with a single blow by the Knight standing next to him. The Knights moved out of the way and kneeled, and the soldiers followed suit. The Knight who knocked out the soldier, Brigo Fogesca, would later be promoted and awarded the Medal of Loyalty. The march then travelled to the Imperial Palace, the Knights in tow. Adrion called for the cessation of all chants and music, intending to deliver a speech, but the Knights and accompanying soldiers began thumping their rifles on the ground in a steady rhythm, and the crowd soon joined in - those who carried weapons or other objects thumped them on the ground and most others stamped their feet. They were met by other soldiers and Knights, still loyal to Faltas, who kept their weapons trained on the crowd. Eventually, somebody kicked off the chant of "Marati! Marati!" ("Victory! Victory!") which the whole crowd rapidly took up. Soon enough, Adrion walked in front of the gathering to face the soldiers and Knights - who all had their weapons pointed straight at him - and he drew his sword again, raising it up above his head, which spurred the chant to change to "Regatu! Regatu!" ("Emperor! Emperor!"). At that point, the other Knights lowered their weapons, but the palace guards did not, prompting some of the Knights and soldiers who had joined Adrion to aim their weapons at the guards. Adrion walked forward a little further, and then the crowd suddenly fell silent in shock as a crack rang out, blood spurting from Adrion's leg. He yelled out in pain before dropping his sword, reaching for the pistol at his belt, and shooting twice at the soldier who had shot him (one slightly missed and the other hit the soldier's throat), then proceeding to unload the other six rounds in the magazine at the other soldiers. The Knights who had followed Adrion proceeded to shoot the remaining soldiers as Adrion stumbled and dropped to one knee. One of the Knights who had been guarding the palace - Falto Civena - rushed forward to Adrion and dragged him to his feet, letting Adrion rest his weight on his shoulder. The crowd collectively breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Adrion was alright, and some cheered as he walked up to the doors of the palace (supported by Falto, who would later be given the Medal of Loyalty), reloading his pistol as he went. Entrance into the Palace Adrion knocked three times at the door. After a moment, the door opened, revealing a soldier pointing a shotgun at Adrion's head. Reacting quickly, Adrion shot the soldier twice, knocking him to the ground and diverting the soldier's shot harmlessly up to the ceiling. The holes this created were deliberately left and can still be seen today. One of the Knights who followed Adrion in noticed the soldier was not dead, so he stabbed him. Adrion made his way to Faltas' bedroom, ordering the Knights to stay behind, taking a ceremonial spear mounted on the wall to use as a walking stick. The exact nature of what then followed is unknown, as nobody saw it, but it is likely that Faltas shot Adrion with a pistol but missed, and Adrion then retaliated with his own pistol, shooting Faltas' hand and making him drop the gun. Faltas' wife, Yaesan, was present and screamed at the shot. Faltas' daughter, Ratana, had been sent away as soon as Faltas had realised what was going on, two hours earlier. Adrion ordered Yaesan out of the room, to which she initially refused, but relented after being physically dragged out at gunpoint. Faltas attempted to say something - what exactly is not known, as nobody heard besides Adrion - but Adrion then roared at him, telling Faltas something along the lines of: "Your reign is over, cousin, and you should accept that if you do not want your life to be the same way!" Most witnesses said that Adrion did "not put it that politely". Adrion had not planned on killing Faltas at any point, so it is likely that this outburst was something he said in the heat of the moment, outraged at his own wound and the fact that his cousin had ordered the soldiers to shoot him. Faltas then protested again, to which Adrion punched him in the hand - the one that had just been shot - causing the Emperor to scream in pain and begin sobbing. After several minutes, it seems that Faltas surrendered, as Adrion walked out of the bedroom and quietly said "it's over". Fifteen minutes later, after both Adrion and Faltas had their wounds bandaged, Adrion led Faltas out to the crowd, to the raucous cheers of those present. Adrion called for silence and proclaimed that "the Emperor has something to say". Faltas could not bring himself to say the words, but - his cheeks burning with shame - he kneeled to Adrion and presented his sword. As Adrion took the sword and raised it high, the chant of "Regatu! Regatu!" began again, and Nesaria had a new Emperor.